Detergent additive extrudates are used in granular detergent compositions as carriers for certain additive components and/or to impart an aesthetic appeal to the granular detergent compositions are well known. Such detergent additive extrudates can be provided in the form of “noodles”. As used herein, the term “noodles” is used to refer to generally cylindrical particles prepared by extruding a paste through the holes of the die plate of an extruder and followed by cutting the extrudates into pieces of desirable length. So far, it has been a challenge to prepare detergent additive extrudates containing alkyl benzene sulphonate having satisfactory physical stability, rate of dissolution and ease of processing with an overall low cost, due to the sticky nature of alkyl benzene sulphonate and various other considerations a formulator needs to balance in such an effort. For example, from ease of processing standpoint, the formula paste of the detergent additive extrudates should be sufficiently plastic to be extruded satisfactorily through the holes of extruders, but not so soft and sticky that may cause the extrudates to stick together, bend or swell. On the other hand, the extrudates should not be so hard and brittle as to need to use costly, high power extrusion equipments and should not tend to break up into undesirable small pieces.
Some references have suggested using high level of soap as a major ingredient of detergent additive noodles. However, they recognize that water solubility and rate of dissolution of such noodles will become another concern as soap usually does not have an acceptable solubility in tepid water. Other known formulations and processes for detergent additive extrudates require either specialty materials to meet the physical properties of the extrudates and/or costly extrusion equipments of technically complex, thus the overall cost of the extrudates is high.
Accordingly, there is still a need for detergent additive extrudates containing alkyl benzene sulphonate having improved physical stability, dissolution property and ease of processing property with an overall low cost.